of a large size, and covered with shaggy hair. It has a prom'i-nent snout, a short tail, and treads on the whole sole of its foot. It is a native of nearly all the northern parts of Asia and Europe, and is said to be found in Ceylon and other Indian islands, as also in some parts of Africa and America. In northern cli'mates it is of a brown colour; in other parts of Europe it is black; in Norway it is found grey, and even white. The black bear confines itself almost entirely to veg'e-ta-ble food; but the brown frequently attacks lambs, kids, and even cattle, and sucks their blood like the weasel. Bears are fond of honey, and often seek for it in trees, of which they are excellent climbers, in spite of their awkward appearance. The bear is not nat'u-ral-ly a fierce animal; but it becomes a very formidable adversary when attacked, or when deprived of its young.

In its hab'its this animal is sav'age and sol'i-ta-ry. It either resides in the hollow of a tree, or some unfrequented wood, and takes up its abode in those mountainous prec'i-pi-ces that are difficult of access to the human foot. In these lonely retreats, it passes several months of the winter in a torpid state without sense or motion, and never quits them till compelled by hunger to search for a fresh supply of food.

Although the bear is of a surly disposition, yet, when taken young, it submits, in a certain degree, to be tamed; and, by being taught to erect itself

upon his hinder legs, moves about to the sound of music in a clumsy awkward kind of dance. But no hu-mane' person would have any pleasure in looking at dancing bears, if he considered that, in making them learn this accomplishment, the greatest cruelty is practised; such as setting the poor creatures on plates of hot iron. All such inflictions of suffering, for the sake of mere amusement, should be discouraged.

In some parts of the world, hunting bears is the chief employment of the inhabitants; and in every country in which they are found, it is a matter of importance on accouut of their value. The flesh of the bear is reckoned in Russia excellent food, somewhat resembling pork. The paws are considered a del'i-ca-cy even at the im-pe'ri-al table. The hams are salted, dried, and exported to other parts of Europe. The flesh of young bears is as much esteemed in some places, as that of lamb is with us. Bears' skins are made into beds, cov'er-tures, caps, and gloves. Of all coarse furs, these furnish the most valuable; and when good, a light and black bear's skin is one of the most comfortable, as well as one of the most costly articles, in the winter wardrobe of great men at Petersburgh and Moscow. In Britain, bears' skins are used for hammer cloths, for carriages, pistol-hol'sters, and other purposes or that nature. For those articles, such as harness for carriages, which require strong leather, that made from bears' skins is much in request. The

fat of bears is used for rheumatism, and similar complaints. The Russians use it with their food, and it is thought as good as the best olive oil. An oil prepared from it has been employed as a means of making hair grow. In Kamtschatka the intestines of the bear, when properly scraped and cleaned, are worn by the fe'males as masks, to protect the fairness of their complexions, from the blackening influence of the sun when it is reflected from the snow. They are also used instead of glass for windows. And the shoulder blade bones of the animal are converted into sickles for the cutting of grass.

QUESTIONS.

What sort of animal is the common bear? Of what places is it a native? Is it always of the same colour? On what do bears feed? What are the habits of the bear? What is the disposition of the bear? Does it submit to be tamed? Do men ever hunt the bear? Is the flesh of the bear of any use? What part is reckoned a delicacy? What is done with the hams? What is done with the skins of bears? For what are they used in Britain? For what is the fat used?

THE POPLAR FIELD.

The poplars are fell'd, farewell to the shade,
And the whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds play no longer and sing in the leaves,
Nor Ouse in his bosom their image receives.

Twelve years have elapsed since I last took a view Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;

And now in the grass behold they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once lent me a shade.

The blackbird has fled to another retreat,

Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat, And the scene where his melody charm'd me before, Resounds with his sweet-flowing ditty no more.

My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I must ere long lie as lowly as they,

With a turf on my breast, and a stone at my head,
Ere another such grove shall arise in its stead.

The change both my heart and my fancy employs,
I reflect on the frailty of man, and his joys;
Short-lived as we are, yet our pleasures, we see,
Have a still shorter date, and die sooner than we.

HUMMING BIRD.

Those beautiful little creatures are found in America and the East Indies. There are several kinds of them. There is one very small called the fly-bird. The humming-bird is also sometimes called the bee-bird, and the honey-sucker, from the food it finds in the pe'tals of flowers. This sweet juice the birds suck up with their thin fork'ed tongue, as do the bees, forming with them a sort of pump, for drawing up the nourishment they wish to obtain. Nothing can be more beautiful than to see those

lovely birds, many of them no bigger than a butterfly, and all of them as brightly tint'ed, flitting about from blossom to blossom as nu'mer-ous as flies on a summer noon. They are called humming-birds, from the noise caused by the rapid fluttering of their little wings, while they beat the air, sustaining themselves over the blossom they suck.

The Indians call them "the locks of the sun;" they are indeed the loveliest of feathered things. It forms a pensile nest, hung to the extremity of a twig of the cit'ron, orange, or pome'gran-ate tree; sometimes to a twig in a house, or a straw hanging from an Indian cab'in roof. This nest is delicately lined with down, and contains two eggs like large pearls, as white as i'vor-y, and no bigger than peas. The little parents feed their young by presenting to them their tongues covered with the honey of flowers. The legs and bill of the humming-bird are not thicker than a pin; one of the birds, weighed with its nest, did not amount to twenty-four grains. Its head is tuft'ed with glossy jet, va'ry-ing with every motion into shades of mingled green and purple. The breast is of bright scarlet; and every feather, when viewed through a mi'cro-scope, appears as if fringed with silver, and spangled with gold.

QUESTIONS.

Where are humming birds to be found? Are they all of one kind? What is the name of one very small kind? Have they any other name? On what do they live? Why are they called humming-birds? What name do the Indians give